They Like to Fish {Tiny Trout Tuesday}

It was a Sunday afternoon at Animas River Brewing. The Broncos were on the TV and it was packed. People were covering every corner of the place, from out on the patio to huddled around the bar, just finished with their morning bike ride, trail run, or just families getting out of the house for the game. Jacob and I spotted our fellow anglers and squished in beside them. Pale ales and IPA's started flowing and so did the fishing stories. We heard about a recent trip to Honduras and the sound your reel makes when you hook into a permit. Plans were laid out for an upcoming trip to Belize this winter and how someone could make their way there through various channels from other parts of South America. Guiding, clients, and debates on float boats soon followed. Eventually, a few beers in, we broke out the map and began narrowing down just where in Durango Jacob and I needed to fish.

"You don't want to go there, the fish are way too small, it won't be any fun."

As soon as the comment was made, Brad (if you're ever in Durango and need a guide, check this guy out!!!), interjected and held up his pointer finger.

"No, these guys like to fish, they're used to catching fish like this."

And thus, our adventure out West began... in search of tiny trout.

Lot's of people will argue that the larger the fish the more fun, the bigger the water the better, and three-weights are for hipsters. But those, are not my people.

There's something about waking up with the sun, hiking up and down and around for miles, only to find water, that if you're lucky, is four feet wide. There's something about the quiet, the lack of people, and the true native fish, the strain that has been inhabiting the water longer than you've even been thought about. 

Sure, there probably won't be any monster fish landed, but are monster stockers all that great anyway? 

"Maybe your stature as a fly fisherman isn't determined by how big a trout you can catch, but by how small a trout you can catch without being disappointed."
-John Gierach